 | ||||
| Full name | Club Ferro Carril Oeste | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | El Verde El Verdolaga El Expreso Oeste El Expreso de Caballito Oeste | |||
| Founded | 28 July 1904; 121 years ago (1904-07-28) | |||
| Ground | Ricardo Etcheverri, Caballito, Buenos Aires | |||
| Capacity | 17,000[1] | |||
| Chairman | Guillermo Bameule | |||
| Manager | Sergio Rondina | |||
| League | Primera Nacional | |||
| 2024 | Primera Nacional Zone A, 9th of 19 | |||
| Website | ferrocarriloeste.org.ar | |||
Club Ferro Carril Oeste, known simply asFerro Carril Oeste or familiarly,Ferro, is an Argentinesports club from the neighbourhood ofCaballito, Buenos Aires. Although many activities are hosted by the club, Ferro is mostly known for itsfootball team, which plays in thePrimera Nacional, the second division of theArgentine football league system.
Apart from football, Ferro Carril Oeste hosts a wide variety of sports that can be practised at the club, such asathletics,basketball,baseball,futsal,handball,field hockey,swimming,taekwondo,tennis,table tennis,volleyball.[2] and, since 2001,professional boxing shows, including world championship boxing contests.[3]
As its name indicates, the club hadrailway origins, being founded in 1904 by employees of theBuenos Aires Western Railway. The club had its glory days in the 1980s, having won numerous titles in several sports disciplines, being also recognised byUnesco as a model institution. Ferro Carril Oeste had 50,000 members by those years.[4]
Always located in Caballito, the club was founded as "Club Atlético del Ferrocarril Oeste de Buenos Aires" on 28 July 1904, by a hundred employees of theBuenos Aires Western Railway (thenFerrocarril Domingo Faustino Sarmiento). The club was approved and supported by railway managers, so Ferro soon incorporated lands to build its headquarters and sports installations. In 1905 the club built its own stadium,Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry, financed by its main founding member, David Simpson. Ferro affiliated to theArgentine Football Association to register a team to play in the third division.
The first official match was played on 21 April 1907 vRiver Plate. In 1912, Ferro won theDivisión Intermedia (then, the second division) title and promoted toPrimera División. That same year the club won theCopa Bullrich title. Ferro C. Oeste would win another Copa Bullrich title the following year, but playing with reserve teams.
Ferro debuted in the top division in1913 v Riachuelo (1–1 draw). By those years, the club also inauguratedrunning tracks,bocce,tennis courts,basque pelota courts but also closed thecricket section in 1914.
At the end of the 1930s, the club emancipated from the railway company, changing its name to "Club Ferro Carril Oeste". In 1937 five talented players rose from the youth divisions, forming an offensive line which would be remembered asThe Five Musketeers. They wereBernardo Gandulla, Juan José Maril, Luis Borgnia,Jaime Sarlanga and Raúl Emeal. But those skilled players only played together between 1937 and 1938, due to other clubs acquiring them (Sarlanga would have a memorable run withBoca Juniors). Both Gandulla and Sarlanga together scored more than the 50% of the goals scored by Ferro in the1937 season.
Other notable player for the club wasDelfín Benítez Cáceres, who played from 1941 until his retirement in 1944 scoring 20 goals. Gandulla and Emeal returned to Ferro in 1944 after their stint withBoca Juniors. But despite having such prominent players, Ferro finished last in1946 and was relegated toPrimera B for the first time in its history.
Apart from football, the club added several sections to its range of sports disciplines, such asswimming,water polo, andchess (starting after the club affiliated to Argentine Chess Federation). In 1933, Ferro C.O. formed its firstbasketball team. In the 1940s, Ferro also addedfencing androller skating. As a result, the club increased its number of members, with more than 6,000 by 1941.[citation needed]
Ferro soon returned to the first division in 1949, when winning the Primera B title. Being presided by Atilio Renzi (a politician affiliated toJusticialist Party and private secretary ofEva Perón), the club addedvolleyball to its list of sports. The football team stayed in Primera until 1957, when its poor permformance during that championship caused Ferro C.O. was relegated for the second time in its history. Ferro only lasted one year in Primera B, returning in 1958 when the squad crowned champion. Ferro totalised 50 points in 34 matches played, followed byNueva Chicago with 46.[5]
In the1959 Primera División, Ferro finished 4th, being the best position in the top division until then. After being relegated again, Ferro won the Primera B championship in 1963, returning to Primera División. In the top level, Ferro reached another 4th place in the1965 tournament. Ferro would be relegated again in1968 after playing a "Reclasificatorio" tournament. In the 1969 Primera B season, Ferro C.O. won the tournament (withSan Telmo as runner up) but none of them could promote to Primera after they lost in theReclasificatorio tournament toBanfield andDeportivo Morón (the worst placed teams in1969 Metropolitano).[5]
Following with the good performance in 1969 season, Ferro C.O. won its second consecutive Primera B title in 1970, directly promoting to Primera División to play the1971 season. By 1972, the club had 17,299 members and inaugurated the Gimnasio Héctor Etchart, home venue for thebasketball team. In1974 Ferro wore an orange jersey, paying tribute to World sub-championNetherlands national football team,The Clockwork Orange, finishing 6th in the Torneo Nacional disputed that year.Gerónimo Saccardi was one of the most notable players for the club during those years. After some irregular campaigns, Ferro finished 23rd (last) in1977, being relegated along withLanús andTemperley.[6]
Ferro C. Oeste quickly returning to Primera so the team won the Primera B championship in 1978.[7]
Ferro had a prominent role in Argentine sports in the 1980s, more specifically in football andbasketball. The football team won 2 titles ofArgentine Primera División and played theCopa Libertadores. Otherwise, the basketball team won theLiga Nacional de Básquet (the Argentine first division league) championship 3 times.
In 1979Carlos Griguol was hired as club manager. He would become the most successful coach in the club's history, winning 2 Primera División titles for the first time and also promoting players such asAlberto Márcico,Héctor Cúper andOscar Garré. In the1981 Metropolitano championship Ferro finished 2nd, totalling 49 points, just one less than champion Boca Juniors. In that season, goalkeeperCarlos Barisio set a national record by keeping his goal unbeaten for 1,075 minutes. This included a run of 10 complete games without conceding a goal.[8][9] That same year Ferro reached the Torneo Nacional final although the team was defeated byRiver Plate (by the same score: 1–0 in the two matches played).
Ferro finally won its first title at Primera in1982, winning the Nacional tournament after beating defending championsQuilmes in the finals (0–0, 2–0). The squad played a total of 22 matches, winning 16 with 6 draws so they won the championship remaining unbeaten.[10] Ferro scored 50 goals and conceded 13. Left wing Miguel Angel Juárez was the top scorer with 22 goals. Other notable players for the champion team wereAdolfino Cañete, Alberto Márcico,Juan Domingo Rocchia, and Héctor Cúper.[11]
Although some key players during the 1982 tournament (Saccardi, Rocchia, Crocco) had left the club, Ferro won another Torneo Nacional in1984, defeating River Plate (withNorberto Alonso andEnzo Francescoli) winning the two finals (3–0 and 1–0). The team played 14 matches, winning 8 and losing only 1, with 5 draws. Ferro scored 32 goals and only conceded 9, with Márcico being the top scorer with 5 goals. As one of the Argentine champions, Ferro debuted in Copa Libertadores playing the1983 edition in a group withEstudiantes LP, and Chilean teamsColo Colo andCobreloa, being eliminated after finishing last.[12]
The good performances by the squad in local football followed in the 1984 Metropolitano, where Ferro C.O. finished 2nd. (50 pts) afterArgentinos Juniors (51 pts). Ferro returned to international competitions to play the1985 Copa Libertadores, being eliminated in the first stage.[13]
During the 1980s, Ferro gained recognition not only in football but also in basketball, being the first winner of the recently createdLiga Nacional in 1985 after beatingAtenas 2–1 in the finals. Santiago Leyden was the president between 1964 and 1993. He is regarded as the man who led the club to a decade of greatness that included more than 100 titles in several sports disciplines.[14][15] Leyden was also vicepresident ofCONMEBOL between 1976 and 1980.[16] Also in the 1980s. Ferro Carril Oeste reached its peak as sports and social club, with more than 50,000 members and was proclaimed as a "model institution" byUnesco.[4]
In 1987 Carlos Griguol left the club, and was hired by River Plate. He had won 2 titles in the first division (who still are the only two championships won by Ferro at the top level of Argentine football) and 2 sub-championships. Griguol returned in 1988, coaching Ferro until 1993.[17]
On the other hand, Ferro had the longest run without scoring a goal. The team went 875 minutes without scoring between the end of the1998 Apertura and the1999 Clausura. The run was cut in a match v River Plate, when Christian Chaparro scored for his team.[18]
In the 1990s, Ferro's form gradually declined and relegated to the third division (Primera B Metropolitana) in2001 after two consecutive relegations.[19] Ferro finally returned to the second division two years later.[20][21]
Ferro has a strong rivalry withVélez Sársfield, so both teams disputed what is known asClásico del Oeste.[22]
According to some historians of the club, the first acts stated that the uniform was a white shirt with a red crest bearing the club's initials, inspired on the colors of theflag of England so the first executives of Ferro C. Oeste were English. Nevertheless, many workers of theBuenos Aires Western Railway (whose workers had founded the club) were Irish.[23] The club then switched to a garnet shirt with light blue sleeves similar toAston Villa shirt, donated by some English sailors that had played a friendly match against Ferro.[24]
In 1910 Ferro C. Oeste affiliated to theArgentine Football Association and the idea of those Irish employees prevailed, so a green shirt was registered with the AFA (asNile green). That would remain as the definitive color for the club, worn up to present days.[23]
The club has also worn different designs (as alternate jerseys) over the years, such as a green and white square shirt (in 1952), another model similar to theCeltic F.C. shirt (that wasEuropean Cup reigning champion by then) in 1966, and even an orange shirt, inspired on theNetherlands national football team that had had an outstanding performance at the1974 World Cup, it was worn only oncethat same year in a match vRosario Central.[25]
       1904–07 |    1907–11 |    1911–present |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Bernardo Gandulla (1934–39)Jaime Sarlanga (1937–39)
Delfín Benítez Cáceres (1941–44)Vicente Gambardella (1960)Gerónimo Saccardi (1969–75, 1979–83)Juan Domingo Rocchia (1973–83)Oscar Garré (1974–88)Héctor Cúper (1976–77, 1978–88)Carlos Barisio (1978–83)Alberto Márcico (1980–85)Adolfino Cañete (1980–84)Carlos MoyaMario Fortunato (1937), (1953)Pedro Dellacha (1965)Victorio Spinetto (1973–76)Carlos Griguol (1979–87), (1988–93)Gerónimo Saccardi (1997–99)Rubén Darío Insúa (1999)Héctor Rivoira (2004–05)José Luis Brown (2007–08)Carlos Trullet (2008–09)Jorge Luis Ghiso (2009)Dalcio Giovagnoli (2010)Mario Gómez (2011–12)José Luis Brown (2013)José Romero (2014) Marcelo Broggi (2015)Walter Perazzo (2016) Marcelo Broggi (2017–18)
Alejandro Orfila (2018) Jorge Cordon (2018–20) Diego Osella (2020-)Ferro Carril Oeste was one of the most successful basketball clubs in Argentina during the 1980s, being the first champion ofLiga Nacional de Básquet in 1985. The club has won a total of three LNB and oneCampeonato Argentino title.[citation needed]
At international level, Ferro won threeSouth American Championship titles (being also the first Argentine team to win that competition). Ferro remains (along withBoca Juniors) as the most winning Argentine team.[28]
2019–20 Ferro Carril Oeste season
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